1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an aerobraking orbital transfer vehicle. More specifically, the present invention relates to a vehicle which includes an aerobraking device which also serves as a heat shield in the shape of a raked-off elliptic or circular cone with a circular or elliptical base, and blunted with an ellipsoid or other blunt shape. The aerobraking device is fitted with a toroid-like skirt and forms the basis of the support structure of the propulsion system and other systems of the space vehicle. The vehicle is designed to be space-based, that is, it may be assembled in orbit at a space station and it is not required to be capable of returning to earth. Components will be sized so that they can be brought to the space station in low earth orbit (LEO) from the ground in the Space Shuttle payload bay.
2. Description of Related Art
In the past, space vehicles have utilized aerobraking in order to reduce their relative velocity upon a return to earth. In particular, the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and Space Shuttle Orbiter space craft have used aerobraking to great advantage for return to earth with the latter system having achieved this with a reusable thermal protection system. U.S. Pat. No. 3,301,507 discloses a hypersonic reentry vehicle with a heat shield portion in the form of a sharp nosed raked-off cone. However, there is a need for improved space-based reusable vehicles for flight between LEO and geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO) and return.